In an interview published by The Times of Israel on Wednesday, US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee justified the Israeli military’s shooting of unarmed Palestinians attempting to get aid in the Gaza Strip.
Defending the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), Huckabee downplayed the reports of people being killed by the IDF near GHF sites but admitted that it does happen. “Have there been instances where maybe people were shot by IDF soldiers? Best I can tell, that has happened,” the ambassador said.
Huckabee claimed that IDF soldiers only fire at civilians when they’re being rushed by a large crowd. “You have a group of, let’s say, 10 or 15 IDF soldiers. They’re manning a perimeter. You have 2,000 or 3,000 people who suddenly are rushing toward a position. They’re first given a verbal warning. Please stop. Second thing they get, shots fired in the air. Third thing, shots fired at the ground. And if they’re still rushing toward them, it’s probable that some people are shot in the midst of that because [the soldiers] don’t know why they’re coming. Are they coming to overrun the position?” he said.
But eyewitness accounts from Palestinians contradict Huckabee’s claims, and videos have shown groups of unarmed Palestinians coming under fire while taking cover. Tony Aguilar, a retired US Army Green Beret who worked at GHF sites, has said the IDF regularly fires live ammunition at unarmed people as a form of “crowd control,” including when their backs are turned and they are walking away from GHF sites.
Israel’s use of live ammunition on aid seekers has included tank and artillery shells. Huckabee appeared to mock the idea of using “non-lethal” means of crowd control during the interview. The interviewer said that he wished there were “non-lethal crowd control methods” being used in Gaza, and Huckabee replied, “Don’t we all.”
The interviewer then noted that there are non-lethal means to control a crowd, to which Huckabee replied, “What are you going to do? Get Girl Scouts to take them in?”
Since the GHF began operating at the end of May, the Health Ministry in Gaza has recorded the killing of 1,881 aid seekers and the wounding of 13,863. The majority of the casualties occurred near GHF sites, while many others were killed or hurt while attempting to reach UN aid trucks. According to UN numbers from August 1, 1,373 Palestinians have been killed while seeking food; 859 in the vicinity of the GHF sites and 514 along the routes of food convoys.
